A typical dispensing container for rubber bands or like objects comprises a paperboard closure having a receptacle compartment and a hinged lid wherein the lid includes an overlapping flap which is folded for placement within the receptacle compartment when the container is in the closed position. The opening and closing of such containers for storage and retrieval of objects maintained therein is inconvenient in a normal work-a-day world. As a consequence, these containers are often left in the open position, resulting in clutter and risk of spillage. Moreover, due to the inconvenience of use of such containers, the user will often simply discard the container, storing the contents in a desk drawer. This practice creates a generally messy condition and gives an unprofessional appearance to the work environment.
An additional undesirable aspect of typical containers described above lies in the fact that they are fabricated of paperboard or other nontransparent materials which prevent the consumer from viewing the contents of the container to observe size, quantity or quality of the product. As a result, the consumer will often open the container prior to purchase in order to examine the goods therein. This practice can damage the container or the contents thereof, and may potentially lead to theft of the product contained therein. More importantly, since the consumer cannot observe the product prior to making a purchasing decision, he/she may simply forego purchasing the product
Another disadvantage of paperboard containers is that they have proven to be unduly expensive as compared with the contents of the container. Fabrication of such containers requires several individual stages of production, such as: cutting and scoring blank pieces of paperboard; folding the blanks into the properly shaped configuration; gluing the properly configured container; and finally filling the container. These individual stages of production increase cost of the carton and therefore increase the final cost of the items sold therein.
Prior art as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,453 suggests containers that can be economically produced by die forming or stamping from a single blank of paperboard. However, it is desirable to provide an economically manufactured dispensing container with the feature of dispensing a product when in the closed position. It is also desirable to provide such a dispensing container so that the contents are visible for inspection without opening the container. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a molded plastic dispensing container in which a locking mechanism is formed as an integral part of the container for securely maintaining the dispensing container in a closed configuration.